Japan

In 2024, yoghurt and sour milk products in Japan is expected to witness a modest increase in retail current value terms, following significant price adjustments in 2023 due to rising production costs, including raw milk prices and logistics, which…

According to Euromonitor’s Economies and Consumers data, the population aged 0-14 is set to decline by 2% between 2022 and 2023, accounting for only 11% of the total population in Japan. The total population of this age group has declined for 40…

Wound care tends to show high demand during the summer when more skin is exposed and opportunities for outdoor leisure and sports activities increase, with this increasing the risk of picking up injuries. Sales of wound care therefore benefited in…

Womenswear is set to see retail volume and current value growth in Japan in 2023, continuing the trend from 2022. Sales in the category experienced a significant decline in 2020, followed by a year of stagnation in 2021, as COVID-19 prevailed in the…

Overall wipes continued to decline in current value terms in Japan in 2023, although at a slower rate than seen in the previous two years. However, performances differed across categories. While many saw decline, facial cleansing wipes and deodorant…

Total volume sales of wine in Japan saw a slight decline in 2023. While on-trade sales increased strongly in a continued rebound from the pandemic decline, the impact of the decline in the off-trade was more significant. Home drinking decreased after…

Demand for weight management and wellbeing products has continued to grow in the wake of the pandemic as consumers have looked to shed the weight gained during lockdown and home seclusion, but also due increased health consciousness. Although having…

Wearable electronics saw strong volume growth due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this has continued, with double-digit growth expected in 2023. Health consciousness amongst consumers has spiked since COVID-19, and from 2020 there has been a wide…

Sales of multivitamins and single vitamins in Japan have continued to grow in current value terms in 2023, reflecting the ongoing consumer interest in healthy living. Multivitamins are seen as an easy and convenient way for consumers to address their…

Video games in Japan saw slow current value growth in 2023, with growth driven by video games hardware. Thanks to PlayStation 5 finally seeing a significant boost to its sales, this category saw a double-digit current value increase in 2023. Sony…

Vending machines have a significant presence in Japan, and have been part of the local culture for decades. Vending is a contactless, unmanned, compact, and convenient way of shopping. Although sales declined during the pandemic, a rebound was seen…

Overall demand for vegetables in Japan continues to increase in 2023, mainly driven by the more impressive performance by foodservice. Like many other categories of fresh food, foodservice sales of vegetables in Japan suffered significant declines at…

It has long been a trend in vacuum cleaners that volume sales of cylinder vacuum cleaners are shifting to stick vacuum cleaners. This started around 2010, when Dyson began to sell stick vacuum cleaners in Japan with the phrase, “the only vacuum…

Japan finally eased its various regulations around COVID-19 in 2023. This has had a significant impact on the travel industry in 2023, not only in terms of deregulation, but also in terms of changes in consumers’ perception of and behaviour towards…

Traditional toys and games in Japan maintained dynamic current value growth in 2023. There were several trends that shaped this category; amongst them, purchases by adults continued to be a major growth driver and had a wide-ranging impact. These…

Increasing unit prices has been a decades-long trend in traditional watches. Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, unit prices rose by over 10% YoY from 2020 to 2022. The last decade also saw numerous years of volume decline. A main reason behind…

Toys and games in Japan saw low current value growth in 2023, with increases for both traditional toys and games and video games. In traditional toys and games, games and puzzles continued to be the largest category. It accounted for less than a…

Lagging slightly behind many other countries globally, Japan finally eased its various regulations around COVID-19 in 2023. This has been very significant for the travel industry, not only in terms of deregulation, but also in terms of changes in…

A typical performance amongst home care categories in Japan in 2023 was that volume sales fell, whilst average unit prices increased, driving up value sales as a result. However, toilet care was a little different. The category saw significant…

Sales of tobacco in Japan remained fairy stable in retail current value terms in 2023. The Japanese government reclassified COVID-19 in May 2023, moving it from a level two to level five infectious disease. The new level is the same class as seasonal…

In 2023, both retail and away-from-home tissue and hygiene in Japan maintained growth in current value terms. Demographics, the fading away of COVID-19, and inflation were key factors affecting the industry in 2023. Baby-related products such as…

Retail volume sales of tea are set to record a third consecutive year of decline in 2023, with sales expected to fall across most categories. This is due partly to the convenience trend, as consumers are choosing RTD tea as it is a more convenient…

Total sweet spreads packaging saw growth in Japan in 2023. Although it saw a minor decline in packaging volumes in 2023, glass jars remained by far the most popular pack type within sweet spreads, accounting for nearly half of total packaging…

Sweet spreads is set to see slight growth in retail current value terms in Japan in 2023. However, this growth is mainly due to price increases for sweet spreads, and retail volume sales are expected to see another year of decline, primarily due to…

Sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks in Japan is set to see both retail volume and current value growth in 2024. In the midst of rising prices for various products, sweet biscuits is expected to emerge as a standout category in 2024, showing…

The majority of Japanese consumers reduce food waste and plastics, making Zero Waste claims and Sustainable Packaging well-received. Climate concerns are rising in the country, making locally sourced goods appealing while meat avoidance is…

Most categories within surface care saw declines in both retail volume and current value terms in 2023. The explanation for the drop in volume terms is simple – people began to spend more time outside the home. In May 2023, the Japanese government…

In 2023, price rises were seen across various industries in Japan, impacting the cost of living. During COVID-19, consumers’ eating habits shifted more towards cooking and eating at home. Despite the country gradually returning to the pre-COVID-19…

Sunglasses in Japan is set to see double-digit volume and current value growth in 2024. Sunglasses used to have a scary image in Japan, as they were historically commonly associated with the Japanese mafia (yakuza), or villains portrayed in films.…

Sun care saw dynamic current value growth in Japan in 2023. At the top level, it was the category with the best growth rate in beauty and personal care. There were several factors which supported growth. One was the increased opportunities for going…

Sugar confectionery in Japan is set to see low growth in retail volume terms and more dynamic growth in current value terms in 2024. There is an abundance of Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) in sugar confectionery, with new products and concepts…

Total demand for sugar and sweeteners in Japan remains stable in 2023 compared to the previous year, with foodservice volume sales partially offsetting the decline in retail volume sales. Foodservice volume sales had suffered throughout 2020 and…

Street stalls/kiosks continued to see an increase in current value sales in 2023, thanks to the rising popularity of food trucks. Even during the pandemic, food trucks were less negatively impacted thanks to their mobility, which allowed them to…

Store cards are often referred to as “Gaisho cards” in Japan. Gaisho is a department most often found in department stores, positioned somewhat like direct selling. Gaisho are elite staff members with high levels of skill and experience, and these…

Total demand for starchy roots in Japan continues to improve in 2023, mainly driven by foodservice and retail channels. Like many categories of fresh food, foodservice volume sales of starchy roots experienced significant declines at the height of…

Staple foods in Japan is set to grow in current value terms in 2023, largely driven by unit price increases due to inflation and increases in production costs. Although many manufacturers had already implemented price increases in 2022, the costs of…

Sportswear experienced a double-digit current value decline in 2020 due to the pandemic. Consumers could not go out to enjoy sports or go to gatherings for yoga, for instance, due to home seclusion. However, in 2021 consumers were able to return to…

Sports nutrition was one of the most dynamic areas of consumer health in Japan over the review period, including during and after the pandemic. The category has been rapidly expanding thanks to an increasingly health conscious population, but also…

In 2023, off-trade volume and current value sales of sports drinks are set to record growth compared with 2022, due to an extremely hot summer. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the national average temperature from June to August was the…

Total volume sales of spirits in Japan declined slightly in 2023, as a result of off-trade decline outweighing on-trade growth. However, not all categories saw falling sales. During the three years of the pandemic, there was a surge in the home…

Spectacles in Japan is set to see continued growth in volume and current value terms in 2024. Consumers care more about the health of their eyes, which is a general positive trend for spectacles. There are three main factors behind the growth of…

Many key beverage companies in Japan are promoting label-free packaging for their core brands, especially for e-commerce sales, as a strategy to reduce plastic use and enhance sustainability. This approach involves eliminating plastic film and paper…

In 2023, soft drinks is set to record opposite performances in the on-trade channel and the off-trade channel. On 8 May 2023, the Japanese government downgraded the legal status of COVID-19 to Class 5, the level of common infectious diseases. This…

Snacks in Japan witnessed growth in retail current value terms in 2023, yet volume sales in many categories saw a decline due to price increases. The rate of price hikes was notably around 10%, but there were instances where products underwent…

Heated tobacco in Japan continued to see double-digit growth in retail volume terms in 2023. Heated tobacco is regarded by consumers as a relatively lower harm option compared with cigarettes, and the weaker smell of these products compared with…

Traditionally, Japanese consumers have enjoyed shopping in areas called Shotengai, where many small shops, including small local grocers, are lined up along the streets. Customers visit different specialist shops to buy their vegetables, fish, and…

Small cooking appliances experienced dynamic growth in 2020, followed by a year of stagnation in 2021, as COVID-19 prevailed over the country in these two years. Home seclusion, or sugomori in Japanese, was a hot term back then. Households needed…

The potential market for sleep aids is expanding in Japan off the back of an increasing number of consumers facing poor sleep quality and fewer hours of sleep. This drop in quality sleep is due in part to a rise in telecommuting and prolonged use of…

In 2023, skin care continued to see current value growth in Japan due to the ongoing increase in awareness of self-care. In addition, from April 2023, all travellers entering Japan on direct flights from China were no longer required to present a…

On 8 May 2023, the Japanese government announced that it would reclassify COVID-19 as a class 5 infectious disease, which is the same classification as seasonal flu. As a result, decisions regarding infection control were left to individuals and…